Musconetcong Fish

[PortMurrayAgn]

I know a rainbow when I see one, but how can I tell between the other types of fish? How do I know when is a natural brook trout, for example? Pictures may be essential for this question.

 

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

Brookies are the only east coast indigenous trout (char). Bows and Browns are not native. Stocked fish often have stubby fins from living in the concrete grow ponds. Holdovers can be bigger, but generally have lost that "Stocker" look. Often there is active stock management and attempts not to "poison" wild trout streams by put and take fish, so chances are if you catch a rainbow or a brown, its a stocked trout, and in no way natural, especially in NJ. That's the way I understand it, someone may clarify it better.

Wiki is your friend!
File:Brookie105.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
File:Browntrout029.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[tomfly]

Brookies are the only east coast indigenous trout (char). Bows and Browns are not native. Stocked fish often have stubby fins from living in the concrete grow ponds. Holdovers can be bigger, but generally have lost that "Stocker" look. Often there is active stock management and attempts not to "poison" wild trout streams by put and take fish, so chances are if you catch a rainbow or a brown, its a stocked trout, and in no way natural, especially in NJ. That's the way I understand it, someone may clarify it better.

Wiki is your friend!
File:Brookie105.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
File:Browntrout029.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is true that Browns and Rainbows are not native to NJ and are introduced into the environment. It is a falsity to say that the only trout that are stream born are Brookies. There are numerous streams in NJ that contain a thriving and reproducing populations of Wild Browns and Rainbows. I only know of a few that maintain populations of wild trout. I am not an expert in the subject of Wild trout populations in NJ. Rusty Spinner is probably the Subject matter expert on this topic. You should present this topic to him.

This is what I found on NJ div of Fish and wildlife’s web site

“Van Campens is one of the few streams in the state that harbor reproducing populations of all three trout species.” ( credit NJ div of Fish and wildlife)

 

[Rusty Spinner]

“Van Campens is one of the few streams in the state that harbor reproducing populations of all three trout species.” ( credit NJ div of Fish and wildlife)

Flanders Brook, a SBR tributary, is another as is the SBR itself. Many of our larger rivers have wild browns and some have wild rainbows. Native (and wild) brook trout abound, especially in the headwater streams. The Division has done a decent job of not stocking certain species of trout over wild populations, but both the Musky and SBR (just to use 2 examples) see them stock Nashua strain brookies over natives and hatchery browns over the wild populations of that species. Same with rainbows in the SBR which has sections with decent wild rainbows only to see hatchery bows stocked over them.

We also have ample completely wild trout streams with one or more species reproducing in them and that never get stocked.

 

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

Good Clarification Rusty!

 

[HeadlessVerseman]

Van Campens is a beautiful place to fish by the way. Not very large, but definitely scenic.

 

[PortMurrayAgn]

How does one get there?

 

[AKSkim]

Oh the Humanity ....

In a current National Fly Fishing Magazine .. Eastern something or other

For directions check out page 292-3.

 

[Trouser Trout]

How does one get there?

Most guys take a car.

 

[jimmy229oz]

I met PortMurray on the Musky last night (6/5) to try to turn a few fish. The fish werent looking at dries, just emergers.
I took two on pheasant tail emergers and one on a sulpher emerger.
I basically looked for the tailsplash and threw the flies a few feet in front of the spot, mended upstream and bang.
Good stuff.
PortMurray is one lucky dude. He lives right on the river. I had to drive an hour back home after dark when done fishing.
Nice meeting you man.

 

[PortMurrayAgn]

Good to meet you too! At least one of us had some luck - you clearly know your stuff and how to read the fish! Thanks again for the flies. I am going to head out again tonight and give the larger pool you were in a go.

When you come back to the Musky and if you ever need a pit stop, come on knock on the door if you see my brown honda in the driveway!